The Trouble with India

The latest cover story of BusinessWeek sums up the attitude that many people face when conducting business in India. Although the story didn’t cover much on Bombay, it faces the same issues as Bangalore and other cities. Which sadly it should not, being the financial hub of the country it generates over 40% of all taxes paid, and also generates a lot of “black money” – unreported income. A great quote is “What Bombay Makes, Delhi Takes.” The contrast is large between the large roads in Noida (near Delhi) vs. the pothole roads in Bombay.

The article talks about “leakage” as a problem, but another equally painful problem is low expectations. You see it everywhere, in newly built flats that just don’t have the fit and finish you expect, the roads have potholes within days of being built, or malls that have very little parking. And because of this low expectation, things are just half planned or half thought out.